The post Architectural Studio in Thessaloniki was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

An existing holiday home originally built in 1986 in Andros Island, was refurbished to modernize its appearance, improve its functional organization, and optimize the views towards the sea. The landscape design of the garden area and the incorporation of a swimming pool were also in the brief.

Layout design

The plot on which the house stands has an apparent terrain height differentiation of 2.00m and the house is developed on two above-ground levels and a semi-basement. The ground level includes the living room, kitchen, and two bedrooms; the first floor accommodates one bedroom, and the semi-basement contains a guest room.

Façade design and fenestration

The house location and the unobstructed view to the sea determined the arrangement and the size of the fenestration on the facades, designed in a way to allow the exceptional qualities of the scenery to enter the house, in a controlled manner through selected frames.

Landscaping

The surrounding area, already formed on two levels, was revamped, the external stairs were reconstructed, and the lower level was landscaped into a pool area and a garden.

The post Blue Frames Summer House was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The project involves the design of a contemporary patisserie in the heart of the old town of Rethymno. With a special variety of desserts, and a “sweet sandwich” as the signature product, Sable embodies the version of an elegant quality pastry workshop.

In a long and narrow space of 49m², including sub-units such as workshop, bar, clients corridor, and auxiliary spaces (WC and storage room), great care was given to a functional layout implementation, giving emphasis to comfortable access and ergonomic standards.

The architects draw inspiration from the layers that compose the “sweet sandwiches”. Installations with a form of layers, such as the metal shelves as well as the pendant lights over the bar, reflect the desserts production process.

Lacquered constructions in the form of brackets, embrace branding identity elements and decorative details. Plaster constructions on the ceiling and the walls are harmoniously combined with the 3d wallpaper patterns giving a sense of luxury. 

Terrazzo tiles in combination with oak wood shades compose a background that showcases the minimal lines of the petrol metal installations, creating a space of smooth contrasts between modern and classic.

The post Sable Pastry Workshop was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

Situated in the center of Thessaloniki, among little shops, the new gelateria “Fatto a Mano” is ready to serve their customers with signature flavored ice-cream. Blending in with the surroundings and local architecture, the new space is underpinned by a minimal aesthetic. Having chosen a figurative approach in the design of both the exterior and interior of the space, with the natural based materials and the earthy tones dominating the space, the architects have steered clear of any decorative element allowing the premium gelato & pastries to showcase.

The post Fatto a Mano was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

In a suburban settlement by the sea, Geoponika, in Nea Kallikratia, Halkidiki, a holiday house of 75m² was built on a corner site of 500m². The building was designed according to the privacy needs of a family of three, combined with the hosting of friends with space for common holiday activities.

As a main idea for the design, the possibility of symbiosis was explored, considering the examples of collective holiday facilities in Greece (camps, motels, organized camping etc). The building is developed on the ground level, while the main spaces are placed in a linear layout. The bedrooms, three compact dwellings, are alternated with the two common areas–permeable spaces: the living room, and the patio. The patio, inside the building volume, between the main house and the guest house, enhances the autonomy of the tenants and functions as a meeting point. The house faces south and its location on the plot ensures a large outdoor courtyard, motivating outdoor living.

The design and selection of materials was based on the culture of “frugal innovation”, focused on serving the basic functions and aims to improve the sustainability of the building. At the same time, minimizing the use of processed materials that increase the required financial resources and environmental footprint, significantly reduces the cost of ownership without diminishing the spatial experience. At the Bungalow House, the exposed concrete of the large horizontal slab-roof, the fence, and the spruce wood boards used for the shutters, illustrate the practice of simple use of materials.

FINA Office

FINA Office

253 | December 2020

The post Vacation Home Design in Halkidiki was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The post Best of 2021 was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The 200m² house is built amidst an olive grove, on a gentle slope in the southern Peloponnese. The building is demarcated by a single curved, corrugated wall with varying heights, which creates protected courtyards at the edge of each wing. The project is defined by two opposing elements: on the one hand, enclosed private courtyards, and on the other, the western wing and the roof with unobstructed views of the sea. The volumetric configuration in an “X” shape divides the property in four distinct areas, with the eastern gardens providing privacy and gradations of shade during the day. The western wing includes the shared spaces. Each room interior extends into its own courtyard and terrace. The construction includes non-standard, prefabricated components (corrugated wall molds, light fittings, landscaping elements, and custom-made furniture). Construction saw the use of few industrial materials, and the production line was limited on a local level. Preference was shown for locally sourced materials, such as concrete, and terrazzo.

LASSA

NAARO

261 | Οctomber 2021

The post Khi House was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The seven luxury suites are built in an 8-acre property, near Preveza, Greece. Their design features sophisticated simplicity and minimalist architecture, in harmony with the environment. Each room comprises two levels: The lowest, on the same level with the swimming pool, accommodates the lounge, with uninterrupted views of the sea, and nature. The interior blends a fusion of Scandinavian design with artisanal Greek furniture. The bedroom and bathroom floors are clad in terrazzo. The walls are plastered with handmade facing, the outdoor courtyards feature pressed cement, and the spa walls are clad in venetian stucco. Solid teak, suar, and iroko wood dominate the pergolas, the outdoor furniture, and the outdoor lounge surfaces, between the room and the swimming pool. The suites are surrounded by a Mediterranean garden lush in rosemary and lavender, and the roofs are planted to achieve passive energy saving. 

Block722

Spyros Hound Photography

262 | November 2021

The post Meraviglia Slow Living was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The building is part of a compound of small, three-story vacation houses, with a small environmental footprint, at an altitude of 980m on the slopes of Parnassus. The site lies beside a rocky ravine, among fir and chestnut trees. The material palette includes local stone for the building shell, claddings with wood of the area, and metal. The standout element crossing through two levels is a perforated steel surface in a dark grey shade, bearing a geometric pattern. This surface conceals the metal staircase leading from the living room to the mezzanine, without hindering natural light. Perforations bring more light to a second, wooden staircase leading to the bedrooms, bathroom, and sauna in the basement. Dark metal comes into contrast with the smooth, white walls, and the roof of chestnut beams in their natural color. The project features a contemporary sensibility, in conversation with its surrounding landscape.

Maria Kardami Design Studio

Παναγιώτης Βουμβάκης

261 | October 2021

The post Vacation House in Arachova was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The house is built on an inclined property, facing Paros Island. The project involves modifications in an existing three-story structure purposed to accommodate two independent houses, with only the loadbearing structure realized. Modifications include the complete redesign of the interiors and facades, as well as landscaping. The project develops on three levels, including six bedrooms, and guesthouses. It is a composition of white, cubic volumes and walls, projected upon the rocky, arid hill slope, surrounded by drystone retaining walls which define courtyards according to the ground inclination and the programmatic units. Great consideration was given to detailing, in order to create a typology of distinctive solutions, consistent with the design objectives at large. Stone, metal, white plaster, and pressed cement facing are composed to create a spacious, relaxed, calm environment, celebrating the senses in a singular location on Naxos Island.

Ariadni Vozani

Elias Chandelis

258 | June 2021

The post Metamorphosis was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

Furniture design for a flexible arrangement

The single-room apartment in North Athens was redesigned for a young bachelor, as a “man cave”. 

The space reflects the owner’s personality and accommodates his needs for entertainment. As a result, it includes a lounge, office, snooker table, bar, dining bench, kitchen, and music wall.

The overlapping functions introduced flexibility into the design scheme: The dining bench is placed over the snooker table and slides behind the office desk during the game; the kitchen, which often appears messy, is covered behind a white sliding panel, which makes part of the wall.

Lighting design

Lighting design was given great consideration, distinguishing the different aspects of the program. The billiards table, the wall of musical instruments and the bar have been highlighted, and indirect lighting is important for relaxation

TAF | The Architectural Firm

Liberta Photography

The post Single-room apartment renovation was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

This is the first time that a five-star hotel chooses to cater to the demanding, millennial audience, in such a straightforward manner. Onoma Hotel in Thessaloniki is a technologically flexible hotel, in tune with the contemporary traveler: Millennials control their lives through their smartphones and they are used to everything adapting to their personal interests. The technologically flexible hotel does the same and has “personalised smart staying” as its main concept.

An Original Hospitality Concept.

Through a fresh, pioneering hospitality concept relying on the digital experience, the hotel celebrates contemporary design and new hotel branding trends, to create a new experience of interaction with the visitor. Its architecture is signed by Makridis Associates (interior) and Kouloukouris Associates (exterior); the overall concept bears the mark of Hyper Tria creative agency. 

Hotel Design for the Instagram Generation

Onoma Hotel is dotted with “instagrammable” spots, neon signs, and street art, inviting the visitors to share on their social feed. The entrance is marked by two L-shaped LED screens, featuring videos and images. The hidden gem of the building is the illusion basketball court, designed in anamorphic street art style. Entering the lobby, guests are confronted with the Seeker – an iconic statue, representative of the contemporary traveler seeking new experiences, a photo booth for instant social feed uploads, and a vertical garden at the secret backyard.

The rooms are transformed into personalized experience stage sets. The visitor can upgrade to different concepts, turning the room into an experience area for Gaming, Wine Tasting, Street Basketball, Rock Music Bands. The digital interface includes smartphone lock-unlock, ambience control through tablet, and wireless charging.

The Importance of Branding in Hotel Design

To create the Onoma Hotel, Hyper Tria worked on many levels. Its main assignments were: Hotel concept, naming, brand strategy, logo & visual identity, brand manual, guest experiences, hotel guest app design, gamification design, facilities naming and logos, menus design, environmental branding, signage, merchandise design, and website design and development. All was developed through the hyper branding algorithmic concept. 

For its innovative branding strategy, Hyper Tria has been awarded with:

• 2021 Tourism Awards SILVER – Facilities & Innovation
• 2021 Tourism Awards SILVER – Souvenirs

Makridis Associates

Kouloukouris Associates

Hyper Tria

Νίκος Βαβδινουδης

The post Onoma Hotel in Thessaloniki was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

Oxygen, with its singular, contemporary architectural design, and noted environmental awareness, will be the first BREEAM-certified housing development in Greece. Being the first development of such a scale in the post-pandemic era, it will showcase the changes brought about in the way we live and work, as an innovation.

Holistic, Sustainable Architectural Design

Oxygen, with a view over Athens’ Olympic Sports Complex, comprises 32 one, two, or three-bedroom apartments, developing on one or two levels. Oxygen is the most vital element in nature, defining our quality of life. In that spirit, the design features an architecture that addresses health and wellness, sustainable innovation, eco-friendly materials and construction methods, water and waste treatment, in a holistic manner, beside a robust, aesthetic result.

BREEAM International Certification

The project has already been awarded with a BREEAM Certification from the construction stage, and it will further be evaluated in post-construction. Control by the British independent organization BRE, which has already granted certification to several projects in 89 countries, guarantees quantifiable results, both during design and construction as well as during the operation time of the building. Close collaboration between the architects, the engineers, the developer and environmental consultants, the local community, the city authorities, and the tenants, has been a prerequisite and an innovation in the local framework.

Contemporary Architecture and Quality of Life

The design of the building is inspired by the elements of nature, such as water, soil, and the sky. The undulating façade on the balconies creates green spaces and separates the apartments. The Y-shaped columns allude to tree trunks and underline the sustainable character of the building. Large openings, private gardens on the ground level, and generous balconies equipped with planters, provide quality of life, and make sustainable design immediately perceptible by the tenants, beside low energy consumption.

Entrance Design

The entrance to the building is given particular attention: The double-height pilotis features circular steppingstones which float on a water surface, dotted by an eclectic selection of plants. More than creating a spectacular setting, such gestures are substantial: they mark the symbolic and functional threshold between the bustling exterior and the intimacy of domestic space.

Planted balconies and sustainable strategies

Small orchards on the balconies allow the tenants to cultivate their own herbs. Electric charging, available in all parking slots, recycling and composting infrastructure, as well as a special system for monitoring each apartment’s consumption by digital application, count among the sustainable strategies that encourage the tenants to adopt a contemporary, eco-friendly lifestyle. All apartments are equipped with a smart home system, smart lighting, security shutters, wakeup/sleep and arrival/departure scenarios, voice commands, and smart switches.

Private and Public Outdoor Spaces

Private and public outdoor spaces were given particular attention. An open-air sheltered gym surrounded by greenery is available for the tenants only, year-round. Further, an enthralling open-air sheltered space with vertical gardens was designed for socializing. WiFi and plugs are available in this area, creating a suitable environment for outdoor home office use, which supplements the fully equipped home offices in each private apartment.

Architecture After the Pandemic

The design was carried out during the pandemic, therefore Pieris Architects focused on reinventing the typology of the Greek apartment building to confront the present and future lifestyle requirements. Having spent long days inside due to lockdowns and working from home, all have realized the importance of every corner of the house. Pieris Architects created functional spaces with warm colors and textures, ample storage, and ergonomic kitchens. The lighting design maximizes the use of natural light and secures optimal thermal comfort for the tenants.

The collaboration between Pieris Architects and Sustain developers aims to make a landmark of Oxygen, and to provide a model design for sustainable contemporary housing developments in the post-pandemic era.

Pieris Architects

Sustain

Sane Industries

The post Oxygen in Athens was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

Boutique Hotel Design with a Bold Color Palette

The new 8-bedroom boutique hotel is located in the center of Ioannina in Greece, in the historical castle district. The design highlights transitions through contrasts: The lighting, colors, and materials change as visitors cross through the space. Old and new, hard and soft, urban and traditional– these principles abound and flourish throughout the building. Colors are used emphatically, ranging from light and dark green, pastel purple, light pink, and blue tones.

The Entrance and Lobby

The facades are painted a dusty pink shade, which creates an interesting contrast with the dark blue wooden doors. At the hotel’s entrance, guests are greeted by a double-height lobby with pastel purple and white background walls, rounded columns, and modern chandeliers hanging from the roof. Green marble covers the reception counter.

Hotel Room Design

On the ground floor and first level, the guest rooms feature colorful selections with custom made furniture. Oakwood flooring and furnishings, velvet curtains and metallic bedside tables create a playful scenery. Ample windows let in plenty of natural light.

Covered and Open-air Patios

From the inner balcony on the first floor, the wooden roof is visible; large mirrors which reflect the pendant lights, wall lamps, and contemporary paintings create a narrative scenery. From the ground floor, stairs lead down to a stone courtyard at the back of the building where light metallic chairs and marble tables offer an open-air intimate space for breakfast.

Dining Area Design

A moody color palette has been applied throughout the main dining area in the basement of the hotel. Walls have been loosely rendered with grey plaster and most of the floor has been clad with dark grey tiles. Deep red, pastel green, and bright yellow furniture add a splash of color. Marble and wooden tables, velvet armchairs, wooden bookshelves, contemporary lighting, and candles create a whimsical interplay of colors, textures, and shapes. The main dining table is positioned alongside the wooden bookcase; the armchairs are clustered around the central fireplace and other tables are positioned alongside the open kitchen painted in pastel green tones with brush detailing. The bookcase furniture with a sitting spot creates a more intimate corner. The space is complemented by a series of unique carpets with traditional features.

Amalgama-Architects

The post Naiades Boutique Hotel was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

On a spectacular site overlooking the Euboean Sea near the small village of St. Minas, a mix of raw and refined materials combine to create a unique summer house that opens to the landscape in all directions.

Layout elaboration under a vaulted roof

Two large shallow concrete arches orient the main living spaces towards the sea. Crossing perpendicular to this primary axis, a one-story bar of more private bedroom spaces is tucked into the existing slope of the landscape. The house disappears into the olive groves and wild pine forest from the approach road but opens up across two stories to embrace the full extent of the seafront views. Extensive terraces around the house create a multi-level network of outdoor living rooms.

Modern architecture reconfigured

An initial structure on the site, designed by Greek architect Nikos Hadjimichalis in the 1970s, has been extensively renovated, reconfigured, and extended. Whereas the original house was singularly focused towards the sea, by cutting large new openings into the original structure and extending space outdoors in all directions, the diversity of the site – forest, grove, lawn, meadow… and sea – is celebrated. Many of the original modernist details have been recreated and updated, but also complemented with playful new additions.

Material palette for an exposed concrete shell

The house is deliberately ambiguous in its treatment of old and new, and unprecious in its deference to the original house; at times revealing the traces of the manipulations and incisions to the original, at other times blending new with old, conflating past and present. The exposed concrete of the structural walls and ceiling are complemented by exposed brick, wood windows, custom terrazzo floors, perforated aluminum cabinets, and built-in upholstered furniture throughout.

Νeiheiser Argyros

The post Summer House in St. Minas was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The objective of the redesign was the creation of an integrated living, dining, and kitchen space, separated by a pair of sliding 4m-long dividers; this achieved ample diffuse natural light in the interior.

The material and furniture selection creates a highly aesthetic space, with minimalist lines. The material palette is restrained yet powerful, including wood in various tones, metal, and marble in horizontal and vertical surfaces. This results in a comprehensive, contemporary design language in all spaces.

Large wooden tiles and recessed linear lighting highlight the austere geometry. Sound-absorbing surfaces on the walls, earthy tones and custom-made storage furniture in the rooms and corridors create practical, hospitable spaces. Further, the apartment was transformed into an energy-efficient, “smart” and sustainable house.

Oak, corian and onyx add luxury to the space, while austere lines and neutral colors result in an image of calm and relaxation. Color contrasts, faithful use of materials and reflections on glass surfaces and mirrors multiply the spaces and add a contemporary character.

Marios Chadoulos

The post Apartment Renovation in Larissa was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The post ArXellence 2 Exhibition was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

This modest summer home redefines vacationing in an island where the presence of the ship-building industry dominates contemporary imagination as a place of production and labor. Lack of any remarkable features and a palpable sense of ambiguity in the surrounding community, street, and in the plot itself, turn the house inwards. This inward-looking condition anchors the house around an olive tree and a well, creating courtyards that take advantage of the micro-climate and contain the outdoors within. In contrast to most of the island’s year-round residences, which tend to exhibit a makeshift, “prosthetic” approach to spatial expansion through the chronic accumulation of built add-ons, the new summer house is conceived as a form of “subtraction” from a single material volume containing sculptural voids.

Exterior walls give the appearance of a monolithic volume, concealing the existence of a large interior courtyard at the center. A single, narrow passage leads visitors directly from the front yard to the courtyard, while a secondary, twin passage leads from the courtyard to the pool garden at the opposite end of the plot. Within the central courtyard, smaller glass volumes positioned around the olive tree provide the main living spaces. These are lined with full height sliding glass doors that merge indoor and outdoor space while they control circulation from one end of the courtyard to the other. Maximum flexibility of movement is provided when all sliding glass doors are open, including the front and back gates of the house, creating a single, uninterrupted chain of outdoor spaces that extends the entire length of the site, as if splitting the house into two.

The Salamis project is included in the nominations for the European Union Prize of Contemporary Architecture, Mies van der Rohe Award 2022.

AREA

Yiorgis Yerolymbos

The post Salamis was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

This competition proposal for the redesign of the townhall square of Farsala, a small town in central Greece, draws inspiration from the centuries-old history of the city and the wider area, which has been an important passage between the north and south of the mainland.

Through its 4000-year history, the area has faced multiple and important military conflicts as a battlefield for ancient Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, and modern Greeks. At the same time, Farsala is considered the birthplace of Achilles, the mythical Iliad hero. Achilles’s figure is not only the epitome of the unbeatable heroic warrior, but also connected with the turbulent transition from the old era of heroes to the upcoming era of the city-states.

Inspired from these historical facts and mythologies, the proposal employs the concept of “conflict” and depicts it in the paving design of the new square. Multiple clashing square-shaped parts whose geometry affects one another shape a paving that begins from the entrances to the square leading to its center, where the proposal suggests repositioning Achilles’s statue, alongside the central floor fountain.

The initially square-shaped parts are each time reshaped because of the clashes between them. These reshaped parts consist of a zone of exposed concrete at their perimeter, while their inner segment contains sequential parallel zones of local stones and marbles that are either new or recycled from the site.

The flowerbeds and the floor fountains follow the same design logic. Small bumps with trees and low vegetation shape the flowerbeds that surround the central part of the square forming a garden, which aims to advance and enrich the microclimate of this public space. The multiple floor fountains placed at key points of the garden enhance the presence of nature in the square, offering moments of play and surprise. The floor fountains at the central part of the square and at the garden are concealed in the paving. Brass ribbons designate the drainage zone of the fountains, an area that appears as a continuation of the paving. Water surprises the visitor of the space by jumping out from the nozzles concealed in the paving, and it either creates an ephemeral shallow pond, or drains directly using the nozzles drainage system. The design of the lighting fixtures as brass bells refers to the Byzantine history of the area, while timber and marble seating equipment is positioned in a way to follow the paving pattern.

Oikonomakis Siampakoulis Architects

The post New Farsala Square was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The location for which the design was made is situated at the southmost end of Evia peninsula, in Karystos, just 180m away from the sea.

The main idea of the design was to highlight the presence of the water element, wishing to add flow in a static and peaceful landscape. Therefore, a 27m water aisle, which ends in a multi – level pool, has been created.

On the ground floor, the space arrangement and the huge openings offer a view at the Evoikos bay as well as at the outdoor space of the property. In addition, the sliding glass boards along the east part provide an unobstructed view of the water element.

The house has two entrances: the main one, directing east, where access channelled is through a bridge over the pool, and the second at the north, with access to the kitchen.

On the first floor there is the master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet; outdoors, the veranda is ideal for accommodating a private living area.

The east part of the building has large openings from the ground up to the first floor looking over the garden, offering privacy to the ground floor and to the master bedroom.

A small sitting area – study and two guest bedrooms – both en suite – are situated at the basement. Outdoors, a deck, trees and a pool are the main attractions with the natural sound of the flowing water.

Maria Karapatsa

Maria Karapatsa

The post Villa in Karystos was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The project comprises two adjacent vacation houses on the northeastern edge of Paros island, in Santa Maria.

During the last years, Paros has been one of the most rapidly developing Cycladic islands, being a popular destination in the domestic and international tourist flows. Beside the increase in visitors’ volume, services have been upgraded and demand has become more selective, and this has had an impact on the programmatic requirements of vacation houses.

On the one hand, users seek relaxation and breaking away from their urban lifestyles; on the other, they seek the same amenities that they enjoy during the rest of the year. The project had to confront two challenges: devising a place-specific solution and finding a balance between tradition and modernity.

Both houses, located at the last property north of Santa Maria, bordering the Natura area of natural preservation, face east with uninterrupted views to Naxos (east) and Delos (north).

This orientation, beside the view and the ground morphology, results from the need to protect the residents from the strong summer wind from the north, and from the view of neighboring buildings on the south.

This protection is enhanced with the use of architectural elements such as stone walls, shades, and pergolas, that create hospitable nooks.

In the building’s aesthetics, the pair of tradition and modernity finds a balance that is redefined each time, according to the individual features of each building and user.

In this case, one aspect of the project involves the large scale, increased technical requirements, the need for high-level services and living, paired with the intention for clear lines and spaces, consistent with the teachings of the modern movement.

On the other side lies the restrained Cycladic architecture, small scale, the simplicity of island living and the rough feel of traditional materials. The balance between all these elements became the main driving force in the architecture of both houses: Technology combined with tradition, comfort with simplicity, clarity and texture, contemporary and vernacular.

ISV Architects

The post Two vacation houses in Santa Maria was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

In a protected natural reserve in Paros, the redesign of eight obsolete vacation rental studios into a pair of upmarket houses, required a wise architectural approach and renegotiation, in many scales.

In its volumetric disposition, the design combines composition and proportioning of cubic volumes, repetition and standardization of openings, ample outdoor spaces and environmentally friendly materials; what is accomplished is a formal plasticity and architectural unity that respects the Cycladic vernacular, adapts to the landscape and confronts the requirements of contemporary vacation housing.

Each building is reinstated as a composition of cubic volumes upon a marked socle-platform, negotiating its harmonious integration into the landscape.

At a height of 3m from the base, a wooden pergola with cantilevered beams designates shaded, comfortable, and protected lounging, sunbathing, showering and food preparation areas, for all-day outdoor living.

Private spaces are distributed on the ground level, oriented towards the south, benefitting from the sea view and seamless outdoor access to the socle.

In-between the bedrooms, a central, glass-enclosed space contains the living room, as an extension of the outdoor area and the pergola, allowing the landscape to be present in a dynamic, changing way.

Living spaces -the lounge, dining area and kitchen- as well as an independent guestroom, are placed on the first level, enjoying panoramic views, both from inside as well as from the spacious balconies.

A protected, open-air lounge with barbecue is created between the living spaces and the guestroom, above the glass-enclosed ground floor living room.

The local vegetation in the unbuilt part of the property is enhanced, to increase the feel and quality of the Cycladic natural landscape.

Buerger Katsota Architects

The post Houses A2 in Paros was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The hotel is located on the northwestern part of the traditional settlement of Oia, Santorini, beneath the limits of the old medieval castle, Castelli, looking over the sea, Thirasia island and the world-famous Santorini sunset. Access to the building is provided from a stepped lane connecting Castelli to Ammoudi, its old harbor.

The building, a 19th-century two-story house with an old bread oven, a mule barn, small storage rooms, and a rainwater tank on the ground level, and all main rooms on the first floor, was in a state of ruin, structurally perilous with a derelict shell.

After thorough analysis of the old building, of its morphology and ornaments, the architectural restoration aimed to strictly preserve its initial appearance and interior space, without any compromises on its character or integration into the volcanic landscape and traditional settlement.

In the framework of its intended use as a hotel, a few minor modifications were undertaken in the outdoor spaces of the building: Renovation saw the construction of small water surfaces-swimming pools, sitting areas and partitions, and the differentiation of the two external stairs and interior distribution.

The hotel comprises three rooms on the ground level and two more on the first floor, each with its independent access courtyard and integrated lounge, bedroom, vestiary, and bathroom. The terrace accommodates a shared sitting area for patrons, with uninterrupted views of the caldera.

The white plasticity of the grotto rooms on the former ground level is complete with new, bespoke furniture. As a counterpoint, the lines and geometries of the old house interior are accentuated and highlighted, with the addition of new, bespoke colorful wooden furniture and a new oak floor, in the framework of a minimal island-neoclassical style. The surfaces of the baths and the mezzanine are faced with traditional pressed cement.

Local stone and heat-insulating bricks were used as wall infill. Ground-retaining walls in the landscaping were carried out in reinforced concrete and stone, with the necessary use of sprayed concrete on the interior and exterior surfaces of the building for structural reinforcement and water insulation.

The use of local volcanic rock on the retaining walls, brown-gray plaster on the facades and exterior floors, and grey wooden frames, contribute to the smooth integration of the building to its surroundings by means of its materiality, colors, and textures.

Olives, a palm tree at the entrance of the compound, lavender, thyme, and wind-resistant shrubs complete the building’s integration into its singular environment.

Kapsimalis Architects

The post Old Castle Oia was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The prominent position of the bar in Pirgos, Greece, benefits from focused perspective views over the central town square, and its good orientation allows the use of natural light; this context, and the owners’ desire for clear, singular lines in the interior, provided the framework for the design elaboration.

The layout places the bar and the cellar in the middle of the composition, creating a memorable identity. The monolithic bar bench, made of natural stone in emerald color, and its framing by the wooden cellar, designed to be organically integrated into the space, is combined with the distinctive metal roof that mirrors natural light, entering the space through clerestory windows during the day.

Artificial lighting involves a flexible “lighting scheme”, adaptable to the changing activities during night and day. Warm grey tones are selected for the walls and come into stark contrast with the predominantly green and ash-colored floor; this way, different zones between the bar and the lounge frame the furniture, as a response to the brief’s requirement of creating a hospitable, entertaining ambience.

ARCHE Architecture & Design Laboratory

The post TEN10 Wine Bar was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The distinctive housing development, titled “Voronoi’s Corrals”, benchmarks from the local corral typology, processed with contemporary computation. The design employs Voronoi grids, which are organic and more easily adaptable to data. The house faces south; exposed concrete beams project beyond the facades, shaping Voronoi cells and supporting shading devices. Each cell is covered with soil, planted with a different herb species. Earth provides adequate heat insulation to the interiors, and the colors of the plants highlight the strategy at large. In the interior, the roof is formulated in successive funnels topped with a round skylight for natural ventilation. The idea of the “hourglass”, lending the house its name, informed the design of an architecture that is achieved with contemporary computational means and geometries, aiming to develop the landscape in a similarly natural way as the one that led, perhaps, the corral builders into their peculiar -yet absolutely goal-oriented and place-specific- choices.

DECA architecture

The post Best of 2020: The Hourglass Corral was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The post ArXellence 2 Results was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

It is with great sorrow that we were informed of the passing of architect Tassos Sotiropoulos, founding member of ISV Architects. In his memory, we republish the curatorial note by Elias Constantopoulos, President of the Hellenic Institute of Architecture, that was written for the anniversary issue “40 Years: ISV Architects”, on the occasion of the eponymous event at the SNFCC in December 2018.

“Let us not hesitate to admit it.

The architecture of ISV is unreservedly modern, in the sense of its character, of its expression, of its “style”; the term implies “contemporary”, while their architecture is, in fact, timeless. Let me take the liberty of a hyperbole: Until today, there is nothing more “modern” than the “modern” itself. The work of ISV, especially involving housing in all its iterations – detached homes, apartment buildings, hotels – belongs to a significant tradition within Greek architecture, having remained faithful to modernism.

The architecture of ISV is provocative, because it is addressed to a high-end clientele, capable of having it actualized. Its opulence overshadows its fundamental virtue, which is the product of an uncompromising design ethos. Grand, lavish gestures, stated with clarity and transparency, designate the “proper” positioning of a person in space, converse with the landscape, and make the most of all the elements so generously provided by the Greek environment.

The architecture of ISV is impressively well built. They are exceptionally “professional” –a rare occurrence in our country-, undertaking the supervision of the entire design process, and control over the outcome. Having been tried over several years in many small-scale retail projects, they developed a particular sensibility for detail: In their interiors, where not only the eye but also the hand touches upon construction, their obsession with flawless detailing has been an imperative from the outset. Attention to structural and aesthetic fitness, regardless of whether it involved a building or a piece of furniture, survived into the larger-scale projects that followed.

The architecture of ISV is delightful. It captures the senses with its excessive aesthetic moderation, its composition of seemingly endless horizontal and vertical planes, interlocking the blue of the sky and the sea in their composition, as another element in their architectural canvas. This is an architectural conception typical of Mediterranean Europe, seeking to express the elemental by creating atmospheres of immaculate whiteness – the charming foundation myth of the Modern.

Their houses for “the few” –an unattainable dream of dwelling for “the many”- signal the ideal model of a refined life close to nature, a dream of the Enlightenment as well as of a contemporary “lifestyle”; not an eclectic, past “lifestyle”, but one consistent with Valsamakis and Zenetos, with California of Koenig and Neutra, radiating a feeling of joy for the “good life”, an optimistic cosmopolitanism made difficult to grasp in our current situation.

The architecture of ISV begs the challenging question: Can such high quality be achieved with different means, with coarse, cheap materials, in more modest conditions? The single-family house in Kerameikos brings about such a promise. It is in our hand to adopt such practices, considering the quality of the private and public environment, given that architecture is an indicator of the contemporary ethos of a civilization.”

40 Years ISV Architects

The post The Unreservedly Modern Architecture of ISV was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The 150m² house is located in the southeastern side of the island, overlooking a deserted gorge. The choice of concrete in this project is a reference to kathikies, the scattered, earthen agricultural constructions that appear as accents in the local dry-stone walls, dotting the landscape.

This is a monolithic, primitive kind of housing, completely integrated into the landscape because of its materiality, of its light-absorbing properties that keep it invisible in the terrain, and its scale. Concrete resembles molten stone, in its neutrality, monolithic character and color affinity. The wooden board formwork alludes to stone building, giving the impression of an articulated material.

The house is broken into three distinct volumes, each one housing a bedroom, and a shade delineating the living room. All movements and accesses are from the outside. The organization follows three different qualities of the outside view: The living room enjoys panoramic vistas and, as a result, becomes theatrical; from anyplace the view of the surroundings is comprehensive.

Movement towards the bedrooms organizes vertical glimpses and captures the view in frames, becoming cinematic. Two parallel walls limiting the bedrooms frame a given landscape, like a painting. Those three different qualities are framed by concrete. Its grey color fades, the neutrality of the frame creates the illusion of its absence, and the feeling that the view is limited, disappears.

The different conditions of moving and seeing are defined with the use of grey mass, vanishing the limits. The tenants, the space and its objects come into a relation between object and background, where the latter is the house’s concrete structure.

Kokkinou Kourkoulas Architects and Associates

Yorgis Yerolymbos

ek241 October 2019

The post Concrete Frames was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The house is built at the highest point of Nikiana, in the east side of Lefkada on top of a green hill enjoying panoramic views over the nearby islands. The project involved the design of the indoor and outdoor spaces of a 200m² vacation home with a ready-built frame, outside walls and swimming pool.

The building is laid out in three levels and functions as a holiday rental during the summer months. The ground floor accommodates the living areas, including the kitchen and lounge, as well as one bedroom. The other two bedrooms are placed on the first floor, while the basement houses a small gym with wellness area, equipped with a steam bath.

The interior design was informed by the future use of the building as vacation rental, creating a warm, open, and clear space. The white color of the walls is combined with natural materials, like wood, bamboo, cane, and woven straw in all furniture and decorative elements.

The outdoor areas are modeled in the same fashion; here, space is organized in distinctive zones with outdoor lounges on many levels, following the terrain and keeping contact with the water features and the landscape. Landscaped strips are inserted in-between.

Revergo Architecture

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